If you watched All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothing preshow, then you were possibly as awestruck by Luchasaurus as I was.
He was aggressive and impressive during the Casino Battle Royale, which was a high octane version of the Royal Rumble. I found myself rooting for Luchasaurus to win the match, earning himself a AEW title shot in the future.
So… Just who is Luchasaurus and where did he come from?
Luchasaurus, aka Austin Matelson, hails from Woodland Hills, California and was born on March 10th 1985.
Aside from his professional wrestling career he may be best known for his 2015 appearance on CBS’s Big Brother season 17. His competitive nature was on full display as he placed 5th on the reality show. During the show Matelson showed his displeasure for what he viewed as betrayal by fellow participant Vanessa Rousso.
Upon being evicted from the house and as the 7th member of the jury, Austin made it his mission to seek revenge upon Rousso and was ventually able to facilitate her eviction from the Big Brother house. Matelson is not the only professional wrestler to have appeared on the CBS’s hit series Big Brother. Jessie Godderz, who would later pair up with Matelson as a tag team partner, was also a participant on various seasons of Big Brother.
Austin Matelson boasts an accomplishment few in the wrestling world can claim. He holds a masters degree in European history, despite never having wrestled in the UK. He’s also a dinosaur. Luchasaurus recently reached out to promoters in the United Kingdom via twitter.
All Elite Wrestling are allowing their performers to continue to compete on the indy circuit until the television deal goes live this fall. The fans in the UK would be in for a great show watching one of the hottest wrestlers in the world, so hopefully some promoters heed his request.
Matelson made his professional in ring debut under the moniker Austin Morrison in 2009. He wrestled on the independent circuit from 2009-2012 for organizations such as New Wave Pro Wrestling (NWPW) and The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In 2012, Matelson, wrestling under the name of Judas Devlin, appeared in four matches for NXT. During these four shows he partnered or wrestled with familiar names such as Enzo Amore, Corey Graves, and Bo Dallas.
2013 saw Judas Devlin appear in 6 more shows for NXT. Later that year, Matelson began wrestling for Lucha Underground under the name Vibora, which translates to viper in English. Matelson continued to work the independent circuit through early 2019 including promotions such as Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and Bar Wrestling among others. The character of Luchasaurus first debuted in 2017 while Matelson was wrestling for the House of Hardcore promotion. He’s a freakin’ dinosaur.
Austin Matelson has a distinguished history as both a singles wrestler and a tag team member. Wrestling as Luchasaurus, he has been a member of The Land of the Lost tag team with Jungle Boy and Solo Darling. As Vibora he was a member of Reptile Tribe tag team with Drago, Pindar, and others. As Austin Matelson he was a member of Team Big Brother with Jessie Godderz who was a fellow contestant on the CBS reality show of the same name. Matelson, as Judas Devlin, was also part of the stable known as The Ascension and wrestling as “W” he was a member of The Disorder stable.
Matelson has wrestled under many names throughout his career in pro wrestling: Austin Draven, Austin Matelson, Judas Devlin, Just Judas, Vibora and Luchasaurus to name a few. His championship resume include the following titles: All Star Wrestling Tag Team championship, DDT Pro Wrestling Ironman Heavymetalweight championship, Lucha Underground Trios championship, Millenium Pro Wrestling Heavyweight championship, and Pro Blitz PWB Tag Team championship. This is clearly a performer who has paid his dues in the world of professional wrestling.
On May 29th, 2019 AEW tweeted out great news for the wrestling universe:
This announcement was met with excitement across the various social media outlets from fans and insiders alike. His fantastic showing at the Double or Nothing buy in paired with his solid history working his way through the independent circuit has finally paid off for Luchasaurus. Fans, wrestlers, and the pro wrestling community alike can not wait to see him perform again and hopefully make a case to get a championship push in the not too distant future. He. Is. A. Dinosaur.
Let’s look at why Luchasaurus is such a compelling performer. First off he is incredibly agile for a man his size. He is listed at 6ft5 and 233lbs. He’s a dinosaur. You can witness some of his raw physical power from the video clip below. He delivered a devastating tombstone during the Casino Battle Royale as if to announce to the wrestling world that he had arrived and he is here to stay! His vicious choke slam to Joey Janela over the top rope on to a table outside the ring was also phenomenal.
This match showcased his raw power, in ring charisma, and impressive athletic skills. The mystique of the mask along with the tattoos and chiseled physique, along with being a dinosaur, prove he has the physical traits needed to be the face of a new generation for an all new wrestling promotion. Luchasaurus has become a fan favourite for his aggressive style mixed with graceful agility inside the ring. AEW made a fantastic decision to sign this dinosaur up quickly following Double or Nothing.
At a time in professional wrestling when WWE is being criticized for a lack of creativity, we are seeing the rest of the wrestling universe embrace creativity by allowing the wrestlers to have more creative control than ever before. The evolution of Luchasaurus should be seen as a glowing endorsement for allowing performers to express their creativity through character development. The draw of professional wrestling is the connections formed between wrestlers and the audience through the stories they tell.
Luchasaurus has captured the imagination of wrestling fans precisely because of his creativity. He has used his natural gifts to create a character that fans love to watch, follow, and root for. Here is hoping 2019 will be known as the year of the Luchasaurus.
Did I mention that he’s a dinosaur?
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You can find the author of this article on Twitter @ngtriplett. Thanks for reading!